The cloth
Bogolanfini begins as hand-woven cotton strip cloth, joined selvedge to selvedge before it ever meets the dye. It is dyed with a n'gallama leaf bath, then river-mud fermentation over three passes — the pattern is not printed on, it is drawn in mud and then the ground around it is lifted away. On this piece the mudcloth meets ivory linen-jacquard with a fine textured ground, black-and-bronze bogolan mudcloth piping at neckline, placket and hem, shaped shoulder petals, pearl-gold z buttons, half lining.
